Genetech and personalized medicine

Genetech developed a drug against a specific subset of metastatic breast cancer, called HER2-positive mBC. This drug targets the HER2 receptor and blocks it from activating downstream signals by receptor dimerization. This is an awesome accomplishment, but what is made to sound so exciting, is really just Genetech combining the drugs they already have created, and see if they improve patient outcome even more so. It’s a pretty standard process, if you target the cancer in different ways, you are more likely to destroy the cancerous tissue.  This concept has already been used to combat AIDS by giving people a cocktail of drugs.

The drug they are calling Perjeta (which you have to love these names!) is a combination of  Herceptin (which interferes with HER2, part of the EGF-superfamily) and docetaxel (which interferes with the microtubule cytoskeleton).  The name Perjecta is derived from the concept of “personalized” medicine, where they examine the cancer and see what genes and hence proteins are mutated, and target them specifically to a person. This way if a person does not have a problem with the HER2 protein and pathway, they would not be treated with this drug combination.

Their data will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting. And Dr. Barron, chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development  is excited that there is an improvement in survival in the CLEOPATRA (Clinical Evaluation Of Pertuzumab  And TRAstuzumab) study.  There are a whole bunch of side effects which include diarrhea, hair loss, low white blood cell count with or without fever, upset stomach, fatigue, rash and peripheral neuropathy (numbness, tingling or damage to the nerves). The most common Grade 3-4 adverse reactions (rate greater than 2 percent) were low white blood cell count with or without fever, decrease in a certain type of white blood cell, diarrhea, damage to the nerves, and decrease in red blood cell count, weakness and fatigue. But if you survive cancer, I expect people are willing to accept the side effects during treatment. Although, I’m not sure I’d be too excited about damaging my nerves.

Sources: http://www.biospace.com/News/genentech-says-perjeta-combination-increased/264814

What avenues of research are going on in Big Pharma?

Recently I have been looking at pharmaceutical companies and the jobs they are posting. I have a strong background in research, and was thinking of changing career paths.

Interesting what I have discovered is that many of the large companies, such as Abbott Laboratories, Pfeizer, and Eli Lily are all focused to a large extent on research where antibodies are used as treatments for disorders and illnesses.  Now coming from an academic research angle, this surprised me. It seems to me that these larger companies are behind the scientific research that is being done these days. In academia, non-coding RNAs (miRNA siRNA, etc), are the focus. In addition to genomic and proteomic global approaches for individualizing treatments.

So, who do you think are the most innovative companies out there?

helicos biosciences continues

I've copied this information from the Businesswire, it is very exciting! With another patent litigation settled, its only a little bit of time before Helicos Biosciences stock goes up even more!

Helicos BioSciences Corporation Settles its Patent Litigation Against Pacific Biosciences, Inc.

6 days 8 hours 35 minutes ago - Businesswire

Helicos BioSciences Corporation (OTCQB: HLCS.PK) announced today that it has settled its patent infringement litigation against Pacific Biosciences, Inc. The settlement gives Pacific Biosciences freedom-to-operate from Helicos's patents within a limited field of use covering Pacific Biosciences' current products only. In addition to paying an undisclosed financial settlement, Pacific Biosciences agreed to refrain from challenging the validity, enforceability, or patentability of any of Helicos's patents, which includes halting its efforts in the inter partes reexamination of the patents in suit with the USPTO.

Stay tune for more as I continue to follow helicos biosciences!

Helicos Biosciences Corp a company to watch

Helicos Biosciences Corp

An interesting company.
Here is a summary of the company:

Helicos BioSciences Corporation (Helicos) is a life sciences company focused on genetic analysis technologies. Helicos has developed a technology to enable the analysis of genetic material by directly sequencing single molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA). The platform consists of an instrument, called the HeliScope Single Molecule Sequencer, an image analysis computer tower called the HeliScope Analysis Engine, associated reagents, which are chemicals used in the sequencing process, and disposable supplies. The Company's True Single Molecule Sequencing (tSMS) technology enables the simultaneous sequencing of large numbers of strands of single DNA or RNA molecules. Helicos has developed a technology to perform targeted sequencing using its newly developed DirectGene Sequencing capability. (compliments of Scottrade).

I think this company has some awesome potential, and the way it is fluxuating, I think it has a lot of potential for making you money. On Friday, when the market went down 140+ points, Helicos went up 30%!! From the grape vine-- its about settling some patent conflicts, 1 down, 2 to go!

8-25-09

Today- 8-25-09... was a good day..

Have you bought some stock that relates to the housing business?

Fannie-Mae?!j Wow, think how much you would have made if you had purchased it at the beginning of Aug?!

What about PMI group? Insurance and property.. A side group off of fannie-mae.... its creeping up about 5% per day!

OK.. something to think about Fanny Mae. Its definitely possible to make money on Fanny Mae, if you watch the news and the stock itself.

It may be time to buy again and ride it up again. what do you think?

Biotechnology Stocks...

With these troubling times, we need to think outside the box. Anyone can make $ in the stockmarket, its not rocket science, BUT you do need an iron stomach.

A few stocks that are worth watching:
ACTC (Advanced Cell Technology)

- they are all about commercializing adult and embryonic stem cells for creating treatments for

in the field of regenerative medicine. They are working on developing and bringing to market treatments for chronic degenerative diseases and in regenerative repair of acute disease, such as trauma, myocardial infarction and burns.

-recently had an increase in price, but has fallen back. Now seems to be the time to buy more...

Another stock that has great possibilities is INO, Inovio Biomedical Corporation. Its a San Diego-based biomedical company focused on the development of vaccines to prevent or treat cancers and chronic infectious diseases. IIt uses electroporation (using electricity) to deliver DNA to the cells. They have focused on vaccines and also have created new technologies for electroporation.

They have several subsidaries: Genetronics, Inc., Inovio AS and Inovio Asia Pte. Ltd and this past June they completed a erger with VGX Pharmaceuticals.

-they too had an increase in price because of their success in vaccines... This one seems to be a company to hold for the long term.

Ever wonder about the stock market? Do you get those infamous e-mails that tell you a certain stock is getting ready to take off? does it really work?.. what do you think?